Irma causes class cancellations for two days and closed down most of Atlanta

Thousands of Floridians headed to Georgia for refuge from Hurricane Irma, but the storm seems to have followed them up into Metro Atlanta. Many Downtown universities, such as Georgia State, University of Georgia and Georgia Tech have all closed their doors for today and cancelled classes.

Georgia State will be closed today and tomorrow because of the threat of high wind speeds. However, all dormitories will remain open and the Piedmont Central Dining hall will also be available both days from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Other dining halls may be open depending on the availability of staff.

The winds have proven to be destructive to the Downtown campus, after a piece of 34 Park Tower facade was blown off and Atlanta Police Department (APD) had to close off the surrounding streets to prevent pedestrians from getting harmed. According to APD, no more incidents have been reported related to the storm.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Irma is no longer a Hurricane, and has been downgraded to a tropical storm, as winds have lessened to 70 mph.

Many of Atlanta’s transportation systems are still suspended, along with MARTA, which has suspended bus and rail services for the rest of today. The streetcar is also not operational until Sept 12. And all Atlanta government offices will also be closed today.